You ever wonder about the whole "Al" in the Arab language?... you know, that little 2-letter blurb in between two nearly unpronounceable names? I have to be honest, I have not even done a cursory google on it, I'm just assuming I kinda' know what it is.
I'm writing this with a gallon of lemonade within reach (its HOT today!), a 2 foot long straw, my daughter playing a Leap Frog game at my feet and my noggin' just plain tired from the first 2 days of a new job.....
So I'm sitting here wondering what to write,... the killings of the soldiers?... nope. Too depressing. Bush/Rove et al?... next. The war (here comes the up-chuck..), the left or the right or the middle or the center or the..., no! not today ... I just don't know. I am blasting through story after story, blog after blog, thought on top of thought. Nothing.
Then it happened. I see a photo of Saddam Hussein Al Tikrit....Bingo. I start reflecting that his clan or family is from the village or town of Tikrit. What if we Americans had the same tradition of having a suffix surname denoting where we came from. Now I'm cooking.
Lets see. I would be Dardin Edward Al Utica My Girlfriend would be Iris J. Al Arecibo, Betmo would be Betmo Something Al Elmira. ... my Dad would be Eduardo Al Ponce, My Mom Haydee Al Coamo..... QD would be Dave Al Toms River (just go with it QD)....and so on and so forth.
Tongue in cheek aside I think there is some honor and romance to this tradition. Not only do you honor your name and the heritage of your family, but the town you came out-the-chute in gets the props as well. Think of the possibilities (and the monologues by Jay Leno!)... Ronald Reagan Al Tampico (Illinois for those of you in Rio Linda), George Carlin Al Manhattan, Oprah Winfrey Al Kosciusko (Is this Mississippi or Slovakia?), Karl Rove Al Denver, Don Rumsfeld Al Chicago (appropriate), Abraham Lincoln Al Larue County (very Cajun...), Richard Nixon Al Yorba Linda (he must have been an illegal...), Dolly Parton Al Locust Ridge (or Blue Ridge Mountains for that matter...), Mark Twain Al Florida (no.. not the state, Missouri!), and lastly Condoleezza Rice Al Birmingham (sounds like platter #23 at Denny's).
Can you tell I'm bored outta' my mind?...
15 comments:
hey, when it's hot- it's hot. i posted a picture of my cat :) it is interesting though. there are many many places in the world with a history longer than ours- and i think sometimes we forget that. it's neat to take a look at the way other places do things- whether we agree with them or not.
Betmo:
I saw the cat in the box yesterday... very comfy:)
Even though it was a light posting it sure did made me think of all the things different cultures bring to the great collective.
Sappho!...
So does that mean I'm only funny when I'm bored?... :)
I just had to do something light... the news lately has me comatosed. But give me a few days to revamp the mellon... then I will continue causing brain-havoc.
(Gracias por la visita, me honras con tu tiempo y la compania :)
Well, If you can call me "Al" then call me a liberal all you want. Actually, libertarians are the classic definition of "liberal",... all the fruits of life's liberties.......... without the socialistic bent of course :)
hey- can't really read the blue. i left a message over at my place but i wanted to say that i didn't feel i was cheney bashing. saying what i feel to be true about him is not the same as bashing him. i admire that he is an intelligent man who has risen up through the political world and shaped decades of american policies and brought down many powerful people. doesn't mean that i agree with his right to do so. it was his engineering that has created such a powerful executive branch- and eroded the checks and balances. to be sure he has had help- but you should really watch the show.
I did not say you were bashing the Veep,... I was just sojourning to your site for some good Bush/Cheney-free reading (as its been lately) and the post did jar my frontal lobe a bit...:)
But thats ok, I recovered, steeled myself for the post, and made to the other side un-scathed...
aren't you glad i got you riled before work? :) have a good day anyway :)
look at you with a new picture and everything- looks good! :)
Yeah,,, getting me riled the 3rd day into my new job,.. thanks a lot :)
The picture is just something i found in the net that i liked,..still looking for my "logo"...
I think the "bin" is cool, myself. My hubby would be David bin Marvin.
HAHAHA!
Publius:
Sometimes even my always-on-the run brain gets bored...yep.
As to Al Nueva York.. im good with that. We have Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon etc as spanish names,... people want to Spanish-induce their hometown to their name be my guess. This is the land of liberty, isnt it?
Brooke,
Had not thought of the "Bin" thing... that would be to close to home even for my sarcastic self, but it does conjure some funny names :)
t-p,
hate to have to post this here, as it stems from a conversation over at dildio's blog (he seems to object to the question for some reason, and refuses to permit it to remain on his blog).
on dildio's blog, you said "such a hedonistic Suffix...."
could you clarify your use of "hedonistic" in this sentence? a cursory explanation (a "brief brief", as it were!) will suffice. thanks.
KEvron
KEvron: Welcome to mi Casa. I appreciate the drop-in.
No worries on the question, one should take, if one is so willing to give.
I think (and forgive me if my memory fails me somewhat) that was a (miserable)attempt to be somewhat sarcastic over at Daddio's blog. I wish I had a better answer than that but why lie to you? I may have used the term in lieu of say "A suffix which compells most red-blooded Americans of conservative bent to froth at the mouth at the mere sight of an Arab word or association thereof".... but who the hell knows what I meant.. my mind at the moment has the attention span of the proverbial gnat.
If I may ask?... you and Daddio seem to have a long and loving banter there....and I say that with true sarcasm and delight :), how long you guys been going at it?
Thanks againg for coming by, your opinions and comments are always welcomed of course. Cheers.
"....who the hell knows what I meant...."
good enough.
"....how long you guys been going at it?"
oh, we've been taking occasional pot shots at each other for a few weeks now. it went full-scale just in the last week. i've posted about it on my blog. there, you can find a link to a spoof blog that has dozens of dildio's rabid offerings.
"Thanks againg for coming by, your opinions and comments are always welcomed of course. Cheers."
your gracious welcome is most appreciated. let me tell you about myself:
i have rules of engagement. the first rule is i don't attack people for voicing their opinions. i do, however, attack hypocrisy, mischaracterisation and deceit. that doesn't mean i then attack the person; no, i attack the words. and, like you, i employ sarcasm in my rhetoric. typically, this tends to result in boogar-flinging from my opponent. usually - usually - i'll permit this to go on for a while before i decide to change tack and go after my opponent's character. and i freely admit, i enjoy a good flame war. i don't mind insults (i'm rather effective in delivering them!), but at least i'm honest about that. many, like dildio, will immediately cast insults without compunction, and, more to the point, without admission of the act. that kind of passive/aggressive insolencse is beneath contempt, imo.
another rule is i don't make sweeping generalizations (dildio seems to revel in it), as i find the practice to be unfair, wildly inaccurate and intellectually lazy.
please feel free to call me on it should you observe me violating any of my rules. i believe my readers/friends expect me to adhere to my own code, and they would lose respect for me were i to violate it.
in short, i'm an unapologetic smart aleck. hardly a crime.
KEvron
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